Time and Wishes
by nicnac918
Summary: In Which the Guardian of Time is in Need of a Wish, and the Dimensional Witch is in Need of a Favor


Setsuna had half-expected it to take weeks of looking to find the Shop. Instead she found it the very day she began searching, as quick as though she had known exactly where she was going all along. But then, she had heard it said that the Shop of the Dimensional Witch is easy to find if you have need of it, and Setsuna's need was great.

Walking through the opening in the fence, Setsuna was met in the front yard by a woman in an elegant black dress. Setsuna took a vague sort of comfort in the crescent moons adorning the woman's headpiece and necklace, while cursing the lack of foresight that had her dressed so causally by comparison. The woman gave a slight bow, more of an inclination of the head than anything. "Greetings to the Guardian of Time."

Setsuna, surprised to find the witch already knew who she was, but determined not to show it, returned the bow in kind. "Greetings to the Dimensional Witch as well. I didn't realize this was a formal occasion," she added, gesturing to the woman's clothing.

"It is not often that my customers are quite so prestigious, or the outcomes of their visits quite so important. Dressing up seemed appropriate," the witch responded with a vague sort of wave of her hand.

"It's rare then for the fate of the world to rest on your customer's wish?" Setsuna asked, a hint of humor coloring her question.

"Indeed," agreed the witch, but her enigmatic smile left Setsuna thinking the other woman had been referring to something altogether different. "What is your wish then?"

"My wish is that, even should the three Talismans, the Space Sword, the Deep Aqua Mirror, and the Garnet Orb, resonate, you ensure that Sailor Saturn does not awaken."

There was a pause, as though the other woman was considering the request, but when her response came it was so smooth and practiced Setsuna was certain that the words had been perfected long before this meeting began. "Why would you not want Sailor Saturn to awaken like the other senshi?"

"Sailor Saturn is the Soldier of Destruction, her awakening would bring about the end of all life on Earth, the entire solar system even. I will not let that happen again."

Another pause. "Your wish then is that Sailor Saturn does not bring about destruction?" Setsuna didn't answer right away, taking time to consider the new wording of her wish. She would not allow herself to be tricked by the Dimensional Witch on a matter of semantics. Finally she nodded in agreement. "Very well. I shall grant this wish for you, for the required price of course."

"Of course," Setsuna agreed. "And what is the price for this wish?"

"There will come a time when I send two souls to the Space-Time Door. The price of this wish is that you let the souls through, so they may use the time corridor to travel back in time."

Setsuna was in her civilian form, but she could very nearly feel the Garnet Rod in her hands, pointed straight at the witch. "No one is allowed through the Space-Time Door."

"No one?" repeated the Dimensional Witch, and though she didn't lose a single inch of her regal bearing, Setsuna could hear the tilt of her head in her voice, the raised eyebrow. But despite the visions of Small Lady that danced behind her eyes, Setsuna stood firm and refused to look embarrassed or guilty. She was rewarded when a smile of something like respect graced the other woman's features. "I see. But in this case the price is not for the safe passage of two people, but their souls only. You would have to bend the rules, not break them."

Setsuna considered the price asked of her for a moment, her illusory rod still trained on the witch. It was true that if she let the souls into the Portal of Space-Time unaccompanied by their bodies, then she would be upholding the letter of the law, if not the spirit. A law which she had already broken by allowing Small Lady through, and would break again when she let the other senshi in as well (or was it the other way around? Or maybe neither had happened yet? Pluto always found the intricacies of the timeline to be simpler than Setsuna did.) And if it was worth violating the taboo against time travel to save Crystal Tokyo, then surely she could do the same to prevent Saturn's awakening. She was willing to eliminate Sailor Saturn's civilian form, Hotaru, Setsuna thought her name was, if it came down to it, but she wished to spare the girl's life if she could. Decision reached, Setsuna visibly relaxed and nodded once. "I agree to the price you ask."

In response the Dimensional Witch closed her eyes and held her hand out before her. For a brief moment Setsuna was sure she felt something… other and altogether unpleasant in the yard with them. But then the witch lowered her hand again and the presence was gone. "Your wish has been granted."

Setsuna gave the woman a bow of both gratitude and farewell, which was returned in kind. With one last smile, Setsuna turned and left the yard and the Shop behind her, hurrying back home. She was briefly tempted to look back, but felt a chilling certainty that, if she did, there would no longer be anything there to see. And so she kept her eyes glued in front of her, all the way back to her apartment.

* * *

><p>A few days later Yuuko was lounging about in the Shop, debating whether plum sake would be worth going out to get it, when she felt a wholly unfamiliar presence. She smiled. It appeared her "guest" from the Tau Ceti Star System had arrived to Earth. She would have to remember to keep an eye on the situation, but it seemed like the Guardian of Time's wish was proceeding nicely.<p> 


End file.
